Daughter POV

I want a better Dad. 

One that isn’t deaf.

One that is like everyone else.

One that can hear my voice. 

One that can speak…. and know what I want.

I live with my dad, my deaf and mute dad.
Since I was young, I’ve been branded as ‘the dumb’s daughter’ , always bullied because of my dad. I’ve always been the center of humiliation, people always bully me. People always laugh at me every day, every day…., every day. There’s nothing like a peaceful day to me, every day is just one hard day to pass.

One night I arrived home late, and my dad was angry. He was moving crazily and angrily, though I cannot hear I single shout, I know what he means. I shouted at him, yelled, and shouted all of my frustrations and pains, yet I know he won’t understand, he will never understand. 

Then I stormed to my room crying until I ran out of tears.

I didn’t talk to him for the next day, a day before my birthday, well,my birthday didn’t really matter, we don’t celebrate it, well, I don’t celebrate it with dad. I always ran away with my friends on that day, I just wanted to have a break, to do what I want to do. That day is never really different from any other day. The bullying and embarrassment is my surname, it didn’t really bothers me much now, just until the next day, my bestfriend, the only person I have in the world, backstabbed me. On my way home, I heard her talking with a bunch of girls on the streets; I heard her telling them my secrets and laughing about it. I confronted her, asking her what is happening and she just laughed. She said she was just playing with me, laughing at me all this time. That she is the one responsible for spreading the rumors, 
I can’t believe on what I just heard. I stormed back home and went straight to my room. I saw dad on the kitchen, but didn’t greet him, I’m still mad at me.
I’m thinking, why am I so unlucky, that even my most trusted friend betrayed me, why of all people, why do I have this kind of life, why do I have to endure of all this. Why can I be like anybody else, why can’t I be have a normal family, why can’t I have a normal father.

That moment I really didn’t know what have gotten into me, I pick up the scissors,…then all the bad things that have happened to came rushing to my head, just later on, I felt dizzy like I’m losing strength. Then I noticed the blood that’s rushing to left wrist. I CUT MYSELF, unknowingly. Even cutting myself doesn’t hurt now, I thought and smiled, then later on, my world turns to darkness.




DAD POV

I want to be a perfect dad for my daughter.

A dad that is willing to listen.

A dad that can hear everything my daughter will say. 

And a Dad that understand her.

But I can’t really hear a thing, because I’m deaf and mute. 

Why can’t I be like anybody else?

I lived alone with my daughter since her mom died. I’ve always been taking care of her alone. 

I send her to school even though she really doesn’t like it. She doesn’t tell me but I know her classmates are making fun of her because of me. I can see how sad she is every time she came home from school. How I wish I can do something to cheer her up. 

Ohh my lovely daughter, dad wants to protect you, but I know, just showing my face to your school, it’ll be more embarrassing to you. Sorry my daughter.

One night I waited for her for dinner but she didn’t come home. I waited and waited until the food was cold. When the clock ticks to 10 pm, I started to become anxious as to where she might be. I walk back and forth from the gate to the house, waiting for her shadow to appear. Not until 11:30, she came.

I started scolding her the moment she arrives. I asked her where she went, who she with were and what did she do. I was so angry I can’t control my emotions. I haven’t been myself for a moment until my daughter started shouted and cried in front of me. I know she was yelling, though I can’t hear it, I know she was telling me, why she has this miserable life. She was crying very hard that I wanna hug her, and yet she already stormed to her room.

I wanted to go after her, and tell her I’m sorry, dad is just concerned. But I didn’t do it, I just have to give her some time alone. I wanna tell her, how sorry I am with all the trouble she got from school because of me. So in return, I planned for a special birthday celebration. I know she might ran away again and celebrate it with her friends, but this time, I will convince her to celebrate it with me.

The next day, she didn’t talk to me, she just passed by my small condiment store without even saying good morning. I think, she have been really angry last night. That day, I went to the bank and withdraw a few money to spend for her birthday celebration. I happily went to the cake shop, and ordered her favorite cake. I bought her gifts too; I know she will love it. I saved all the extra money I have so I can buy these. I feel so excited for tomorrow.

The next day, on the day of her birthday is just like yesterday, she didn’t talk to me. 

That afternoon I prepared all the surprise on the kitchen. Just as I was about to put the cake in the table, I saw her enter the house, so I turn back and hide the cake. I think she didn’t see it so the surprise is still on.

I prepared everything in dining table and waited for her to come down, but an hour passed, she haven’t come down, 2 hours….3 hours..still nothing.

I wanted to check on her but I stopped on my tracks, thinking this is supposed to be a surprise. Then, just as I was about to go back to my seat, a sudden gush of fear came to me, my heart starts pounding heavily, like there something bad that happened. And the first thing that came to my mind was my daughter. I ran to her room, knocked on the door and when I realized it was locked, I forced open the door and see my lovely daughter lying on the floor, with blood coming out of her left wrist. I immediately run towards her and carried her to the nearest hospital. When she was taken to the emergency room, a doctor came to me.

I can’t help but plead him to do everything they can to help her. I said, 
“Please don’t let her die, I have money saved up, I also have a house..if you want take it, but you can’t let her die. Please..please… JUST TAKE MY BLOOD, I WILL TAKE HER PLACE. “ I said to the doctor. I know he won’t probably understand everything that I just said, yet he understands my last statement.

We hurriedly went to transfer my blood to my nearly dying daughter; the doctor said it will be very dangerous for me to do it because I’m anemic. I closed my eyes not wanting to see her suffering condition. As a dad, I just always wanted her to be healthy always, eat good food always, be happy always, just letting her be like that and I will be happy…I will be the happiest dad in the world. We may not be rich like others but I always do my best to keep my daughter safe. 

I always wanted to have a normal conversation with my daughter, tell her to eat more because I know she will still go taller, tell her to study hard every time I send her to school, tell her HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Tell her that “I was born deaf, I’m sorry. I can’t speak like other dads, but I just want you to know that you are everything to me. You are the most important person in the world to me. I’m always sorry not being the best dad for you, I’m always sorry not being the dad you want me to be, not the dad that you can be proud of.” I slowly closed my eyes praying that GOD won’t let me lose my lovely daughter, praying that GOD will let her live longer, and happily in the future. 




Daughter POV


I run as fast as I could. I will be late. 
As I came near the school gate, I see dad waiting for me, I smiled seeing him happily waving his hands, I am so happy that he is okay now after losing a lot of blood because of me, so I told him I will be cooking dinner tonight. I waved back and ran towards him. I hugged him tightly and kissed him on the check. Dad signaled me the “I LOVE YOU” sign and I replied back. He smiled broadly and I hugged him again. I put on my helmet then dad started to drive home.



Maybe there is no such thing as a perfect dad. Only the one that loves you more than anything…and gives his life to you.